Sunday, November 3, 2013

Yesterday the UnderGroundBrewSquad participated in the AHA's 15th Annual Learn to Home Brew Day, which was held at Brew Ferment Distill in Sacramento, Ca. The event hosted AHA's 2013 Home Brewer of the Year Annie Johnson, The UnderGroundBrewSquad Home Brew Club and a few local home brewers that conducted brewing demonstrations and Q&A sessions for individuals who wanted to learn about home brewing. The staff at BFD also shared their knowledge with attendees who had any questions that pertained to zymurgy, ingredients and brewing equipment . The brewers that brewed at the function also shared their knowledge and experiences in home brewing. Their skill levels ranged from novice to advanced. Throughout the day the attendees sampled many styles of home brew and chewed on tasty edibles donated by a few local restaurants and food vendors.

The day started out pretty mellow. The weather was on the chilly side around 55 degrees, clear skies and sunny. A nice day for brewing! Around 9:30 the first of the brewers arrived on site and prepped their stations for their demonstrations. The demos would feature three types of brewing. Extract, Mini Mash and All-grain. The three techniques would take place in a variety on settings. One on a stove top, another camper stove and rounding out the last propane burner setups.

As the brewing got underway the Q&A sessions kicked in full swing. Onlookers asked a number of questions. The brewers responded to the best of their abilities and made sure that everyone could understand. The main agenda of the day was to educate and show how easy it is to make beer at home. No questions went unanswered. If a home brewer could not answer a question for some reason another home brewer would chime in and assist. A few of the questions that stood out at the event was "How long does it take to make beer" and "What's the hardest part of the brewing process"?

The day went by pretty quick. The last of the brews were transferred into their primary fermentation vessels around 4pm. The attendance started to thin out once the in house kegs and home brews tapped out. Overall the event was a success. The goals were met. The community came out in support of the movement. The U.B.S. is looking forward to participating in 16th Annual Learn To Home Brew Day.

Thanx goes out to everyone that made the event possible: BDF, UnderGroundBrewSquad, The Shack, Annie Johnson, Steve Gonzales, AHA and everyone that donated their time and energy. Cheers!!!

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Shoved into a shopping center in Mediocre America, this
family run brewery is a sweet find. The well made beers are adorned with medals
from the AHA and the Maltose Falcons. Mike, a home brewer of 30+ years, brews
on a 3 barrel system about once a week. He's blessed, the local water needs no treatment
for the beers he likes to make, though slight modifications are made for the
IPA’s. The brewery is simple; a plate
chiller and an insta-hot for hot water take up hardly any room. No fancy filtration, and many of the beers go
from Mash to Glass in 7-10 days.

Nitro Blonde: 4.5% 18 IBU – Nitro silky smoothness, this blonde is super creamy. Light on the flavor, but it’s easy to ask for another. American Blonde: 4.5% 18 IBU – when taken off the nitro, that dissipating flavor was more prolonged, still easy drinkin’ but it’s hard to keep my mind off that nitro silkiness. Belgian White: 4.25% 17 IBU – a welcoming lemony tartness rides in on a yeasty nose, but arrives rather delicately on the palate, chased by only the mildest of bubbles. Window of Opportunity: 8.5% 24 IBUs – Belgian Tripple – Sharply flavorful, especially in contrast to the previous beers. A strong boozy taste, this beer could use some aging. Summer IPA: 6.25% 65 IBUs – A nicely bittered IPA with a strong, earthy taste and a big juicy Ruby Red grapefruit finish. Fall IPA: 7.0% 55 IBUs – This medium bodied mid hopped brew was probably the one I liked best, it was a much fuller experience than the others.

While none of the beers at Mraz (Mer-oz) jump up and scream for your attention (unless you jump through that Window of Opportunity), all were easy to drink. The Nitro Blonde, still lingering in my mind, was my pint worthy choice, with a curvy barista's “M” appearing magically in the foam. The whole family was working on Saturday, Justin tending the bar and younger ones working quality control while washing and inspecting glasses and smaller ones picking up after the guests. Mom checked in with everyone like a good host and quickly made you feel at home. Mike was happy to show off his small start up brewery and talk about the work it takes to make it run. It feels good to support a family that is willing to make the sacrifices it takes to make Dad’s dreams come true.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Another industrial warehouse adventure. The town car slows and circles, and though welcomed by the site of the silo, it doesn't appear to be open. The driver encourages Lady Ellamie to try the door, pulling away to the thump of funk.

It's early for a Thursday, an away game day. The tasting room is sparse. A few picnic tables, and a short bar. The carved wooden signs hanging from pegs tell her today is a short list day. Only 5 on tap, which makes selecting the 5 beers for the sampler a no brainer.

Pistol Whips Pils: 4.5% 26 IBUs - Full bodied with a unique nose, her name is Mouteka, and she's from New Zealand. At first, she's hard to place, but then you hope to recognize her special scent in the future. Not too dry and not too malt. Heavier hitter than the traditional Czech style. Break Away Pale Ale: 5.0% 41 IBU - pale, bitter, golden, low carb. Another hard to place scent, kinda stinky, but not in a bad way. The Good Ship ESB 5.8% 35 IBU Swirling with the color of wildflower honey, and oh so little head. Smooth and silky, slipping down your throat. Tight, tiny bubbles tickle your tongue. Not much of smell, vaguely antiseptic. The taste sweetens as it warms. Big Whig IPA 6.8% 77 IBU, but which hops did they use? An earthy, faint cat piss aroma. Adequately bittered for this style. Rosalita 4.5% 26 IBU A slight pink hue shines through the goblet, invoking thoughts of grandma's pink wine in a jug, imperceptible head. Hibiscus imbues color and tartness, and perhaps the green peppers too? Mmmm.... Peppers. Wanting Mexican food... which would pair well with Rosalita. What a shame! No food truck today, and limited beer selection = short visit.

Perhaps induced by these conditions, there was the rare sighting of aurora beerealis!

Overall: Near Angels Stadium, which means decent beer before a game, and a projector promises views of the game at all times. The crowd today was mostly men after a white collar work day. A couple of beer geeks swish clean water in the glass prior to noting the elements of their swig. The crowd grew lively but not friendly, people seemed to keep to themselves. Danielle, the beer maiden, is a gem. Knowledgeable and friendly, full of enthusiasm. The beers which had the best reviews were not available that day.

An ad on the cork board announces it is the second anniversary of a local blog, promising 13 beers on Saturday. And what of the brews for the party on Saturday? Danielle can't be bribed for information, and with tribute band "Slaves Against The Machine" playing, it sounds like a good time. In the future, a call to inquire the taps, it might save a mediocre trip.

So, I've been into this home brewing thing for awhile now and I am constantly trying to gather information that will enhance my knowledge of craft brewing. A couple of days ago I questioned myself about the way I approach making my beers. I found it to be really interesting. Even though I've read a lot of written material, listened to many podcast and picked the brains of some of my favorite local brew masters, I found that I ultimately choose what works best for me. Never knew that I could be such a prude!
Any how I thought it would be neat to start a thread in hopes that we could share our personal preferences when it comes to fermentation portion of the home brewing process. There are many variables that can make or break the final product, so I would really like to know how we approach the matters. I think it's pretty rad that we are basically using the same formula just approaching it differently.
Okay folks, here we go! (1) Carboy, bucket or keg.(2) Primary vs. secondary.(3) Conditioning of the beer forced carbonation, priming or natural.
I am looking forward to reading your responses! It should be enlightening because the reality of it all is that we are all trying to produce a really good product to share with our families, friends and associates. Tasty Adult Beverages!
Until next time. Brew Excellent!!!!!